UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award: Three More Longlists


Newly released longlists from the Zayed Award are in categories of translation, criticism, and ‘contribution to nation building.’

Irene Lozano Domingo, the director general of economic diplomacy at Spain’s Casa Árabe, accepts the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in April 2024 at Abu Dhabi. At left is Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chair of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. Image: Sheikh Zayed Book Award

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

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UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award Names Four Longlists

Three More Categories Longlisted

As you’ll remember, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in Abu Dhabi on December 6 released several categories of its 19th-edition longlists.

Today (December 17), this major prize regime focused on Arabic literature has released a second set of longlists in three categories:

  • Translation
  • Contribution to the Development of Nations
  • Literary and Art Criticism

The Zayed Award was established in 2006 as a means to promoting Arab literature and culture, while honoring the achievements of creative thinkers in books, the arts, the humanities, in Arabic and in other languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Russian.

The program is organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre—which is part of the United Arab Emirates’ capitol department of culture and tourism (ALC). The language center, like the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, is under the leadership of Dr. Ali Bin Tamim.

Dr. Ali Bin Tamim

In the Zayed’s 19th edition—the program’s award year running roughly from May to May— the award’s organizers say the program has received more than 4,000 nominations from 75 countries, including 20 Arab nations and 55 from other parts of the world.

Not least among the attractions for such robust levels of entry are the cash payouts of this generous award regime, of course.

Among the richest prize programs for books and publishing in the world, the Zayed Award program carries a purse of 750,000 United Arab Emirates dirhams (US$204,209) in each of its book categories and annually has been worth a total of some 7 million dirhams (US$1.9 million). That includes the special Cultural Personality of the Year Category award’s 1 million UAE dirhams (US$272,364).

As mentioned in our earlier update on the Zayed Award’s entries, five markets have been heard from for the first time this year: Albania; Bolivia; Colombia; Trinidad and Tobago; and Mali.

Translation

By far the heaviest of categories we’ve seen longlisted for the Zayed this year is the longlist for the Translation category, which comprises 19 titles from 12 countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Mali, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia. The books were translated from and into Arabic across four languages: German, English, Spanish, and French.

  • Tausendundeine Nacht: Das Buch der Liebe (One Thousand and One Nights: The Book of Love), translated from Arabic to German by Claudia Ott (Germany), published by Verlag C.H. Beck in 2022
  • Orosius by Paulus Orosius, translated from Arabic to English by Marco Di Branco (Italy), published by Pisa University Press in 2024
  • El Collar de la Coloma: Sobre L’amor I els Amants (The Dove’s Necklace: Of Love and Lovers) by Ibn Hazm, translated from Arabic to Spanish by Isaac Donoso (Spain), published by Associació d’Amics de La Costera in 2024
  • Langage et Théologie chez Abū Bakr Ibn al-ʿArabī’ (Nukat al-Maḥṣūl fī ʻilm al-uṣūl: Language and Theology of Abū Bakr Ibn al-ʿArabī) by Ibn al-ʿArabī, translated from Arabic to French by Ilyass Amharar (France), published by Gorgias Press in 2023
  • Dalāʾil Al-Iʿjāz: Les indices de l’inimitabilité du Glorieux Coran (Dalāʾil Al-Iʿjāz: Evidence of Miracles: Signs of the Inimitability of the Glorious Quran) by Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, translated from Arabic to French by Mohamadou Aboubacar Maiga (Mali), published by Sonçağ Akademi in 2024
  • La démocratie universelle: Philosophie d’un modèle politique  (Universal Democracy: Philosophy of a Political Model) by Florent Guénard, translated from French to Arabic by Ahmad Haji Safar (Syria), published by the Arab Organisation for Translation in 2023
  • Le démon de la théorie: Littérature et sens commun  (The Demon of Theory: Literature and Common Sense) by Antoine Compagnon, translated from French to Arabic by Hassan Outtaleb (Morocco), published by Dar Alkitab Aljadeed in 2023
  • Philosophies du multiculturalisme (Philosophies of Multiculturalism) by Paul May, translated from French to Arabic by Zouaoui Beghoura (Algeria), published by Al Rawafed Culture Publishers and Ibn al-Nadim Publishing and Distribution in 2024
  • Routledge Handbook to Philosophy of Memory edited by Sven Bernecker and Kourken Michaelian, translated from English to Arabic by Dr. Mustafa Samir Abdulraheem (Iraq), published by Al Rawafed Culture Publishers and Ibn al-Nadim Publishing and Distribution in 2023
  • The Oxford Handbook of the Cognitive Science of Religion by Justin Barrett, translated from English to Arabic by Mohamed Sayed Salama (Egypt), published by Al Rawafed Culture Publishers and Ibn al-Nadim Publishing and Distribution in 2024.
  • Subject of Desire: Hegelian Reflections in Twentieth-Century France by Judith Butler, translated from English to Arabic by Nour Hariri (Syria/Germany), published by Ninawa Studies Publishing & Distribution in 2024
  • Pain: A Cultural History by Javier Moscoso, translated from Spanish to Arabic by Hosni Mlitat (Palestine), published by Ninawa Studies Publishing & Distribution in 2024
  • The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology by David Matsumoto, translated from English to Arabic by Luai Khazal Jabr (Iraq), published by the Academic Centre for Research in 2024
  • Madrid Islámico (Islamic Madrid) by Daniel Gil Benumeya, translated from Spanish to Arabic by Khaled Salem (Egypt), published by the National Centre for Translation in 2023
  • The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined  by Steven Pinker, translated from English to Arabic by Bander Mohammed Alharbi (Saudi Arabia), published by Page 7 Publishing in 2024
  • Understanding Collapse: Ancient History and Modern Myths by Guy D. Middleton, translated from English to Arabic by Amir Osman (Egypt), published by Namaa for Research & Studies in 2023
  • Pour une théorie de la production littérair (For a theory of literary production) by Pierre Macherey, translated from French to Arabic by Mohamed El Jorti (Morocco), published by Fadaat for Publishing & Distribution in 2024
  • Postdramatisches Theater (Postdramatic Theatre) by Hans-Thies Lehmann, translated from German to Arabic by Marwa Mahdy Abidou (Egypt), published by the National Centre for Translation in 2023
  • Methods of Logic by Willard Van Orman Quine, translated from English to Arabic by Dr. Youssef Tibesse (Morocco), published by Mana Publishing in 2023
Literary and Art Criticism

The longlist for the Literary and Art Criticism category this year includes 13 titles from six countries: Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, and Syria. 

  • Imaginary Narratives in the Arab Novel: From Restriction to Transmission by Brahim Elgraoui (Morocco), published by the Department of Culture – Government of Sharjah in 2024
  • Urbanistic Samarra: A Study of Architecture and Planning of an Abbasid City by Dr. Khaled Alsultany (Iraq), published by Adib Books in 2024
  • Correspondence Texts: Origins, Formation, and Reception by Dr. Jamil Ben Ali (Tunisia), published by Zayneb Edition in 2023
  • Andalusian Influence on Islamic Architecture and Art in the Maghreb, Egypt, and Istanbul by Dr. Rami Rabie Rashed (Egypt), published by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage in 2024
  • Poetry and Prophecy: Abu Tayeb as the Poet-Prophet by Dr. Rita Awad (Palestine, published by the Arab Institute for Research & Publishing in 2024
  • Food and Language: Cultural Excavations in Arab Heritage by Dr. Said Laouadi (Morocco), published by Afrique Orient in 2023
  • Passions and Emotions in the Arab-Islamic World by Dr. Abdelaziz Chebil (Tunisia), published by Maison Nihed d’Edition et de Distribution in 2024
  • Scenes from Fatimid Life in Egypt by Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim (Egypt), published by Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah in 2024
  • Theory and Challenges in Cultural Criticism: Questions and Practices in Arab Literary Discourse by Dr. Mohamed Shahat (Egypt), published by Dar Athar Publishing & Distribution in 2023
  • Narrative Minds: An Introduction to Gnostic Storytelling by Dr. Mohamed Salah Bouomrani (Tunisia), published by Masciliana Editions in 2023
  • New Insights: From the Edge of Boundaries to the Essence of Being by Mohamed Bazzi (Morocco), published by Kunouz Al-Ma’refa Publishing and Distribution in 2022
  • Nothingness and Consciousness: The Essence of Existence and the Limits of Language by Munthir Chelloob (Iraq/UK), published by Dar Al-Rafidain in 2022
  • Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi: The Conscience of Egyptian History by Nasser Rabbat (Syria/USA), published by Turath for Research & Studies in 2024
Contribution to the Development of Nations

The longlist for the Contribution to the Development of Nations category comprises eight titles this year from six countries: Syria, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

  • The Philosophy of Recognition and Identity Politics: Criticism of the Cultural Approach to Arab-Islamic Culture by Housamedden Darwish (Syria/Germany), published by Mominoun Without Borders in 2023
  • Ideological Critique in Education and Society by Prof. Dr. Hassan Elbilawi (Egypt), published by Al Mahrousa Centre for Publishing, Press Services and Information in 2024
  • In the Method: Logic in Scientific and Philosophical Discovery by Abdelmajid Baakrime (Morocco), published by Dar Al Thaqafa for Publishing & Distribution in 2024
  • Education and Sustainable Development: Challenges of Existence and Destiny by Prof. Dr. Ali Asaad Watfa (Syria), published by the Authorship, Translation, and Publication Committee – Kuwait University in 2022
  • Cities and Trade in Arab and Islamic Civilization by Prof. Dr. Majduddin Khemesh (Jordan), published by Dar Alsayel for Publishing & Distribution in 2024
  • The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women’s Rights by Prof. Dr. Mohammed Bechari (UAE), published by Nahdet Misr Publishing in 2024
  • Post-Political Islam: A Study of the Political and Cultural Landscape of the Arab World by Mohammed Mahfood (Saudi Arabia), published by Mominoun Without Borders in 2024
  • On Progress: Challenges and Pathways by Mahmoud Mohieldin (Egypt), published by Dar Elshorouk in 2022

More from Publishing Perspectives on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award is here, more on the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center is here, more on Arabic literature is here, and more on translation is here. More from us on publishing and book awards in the international industry is here. 

Publishing Perspectives is the world media partner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

About the Author

Porter Anderson

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Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London’s The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.



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